Skull and Bonesmay have dropped off many radars, but it’s still in development at Ubisoft. Even less is perhaps known of it now, asUbisoft confirmed a new “vision"for it in late 2020, but what that means is anyone’s guess. Still, the very premise of the game is enticing for many.
There’s not a whole lot of pirate games out there, not good pirate games anyway.Sea of Thieves is great and scratches a certain itch, but when many think of a great pirate game, they look toAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Even with theAssassin’s Creedbackdrop, the emphasis on capturing theGolden Age of Piracysets up a lot of moments that feel rather genuine to the concept. It’s a good sign that, much asImmortals Fenyx Risingwas inspired byAssassin’s Creed Odyssey, Skull and Bonesis inspired byAC4. Notably, though, it’s going in a different direction with a big emphasis on multiplayer, at least at its latest showing, but the ship battles probably aren’t the area fans should worry about.
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Skull and Bones Single-Player Story
Ubisoft did confirm at one point thatSkull and Boneswould feature a single-player campaign, and it’s believed there would be a customizable pirate captain for players. That could suggest a lot of things in terms of Ubi games: a customizable captain may still have a personality, like Fenyx; a customizable captain likely means a crew, likeACgames with boats; and overall, there’s likely some level of RPG mechanics to it.
On top of that, players are supposedly ship-locked, meaning the chances of their captain shining through is hampered by this gameplay choice. As long as the main focus ofSkull and Bonesis multiplayer, chances are there’s more of aCall of Dutysituation here.
Call of Dutycampaignsare great and a good part of every game, but many play it once and move on. Sometimes, they move on to zombies, but a lot of time it’s the game’s multiplayer offering. That’s the focus of the game with the most replay value, and it’s not hard to seeSkull and Bonesbeing similar in this regard. With the focus on multiplayer, it’s single-player may be offset to accommodate that more. Of course, that’s just speculation, but even if the single-player story is great and, as a baseline, comparable to the pirate antics ofBlack Flag’s story, it may still be missing the game’s best focal point.
Edward Kenway May Not Be the Best Assassin, But He’s a Great Pirate
Edward Kenwaydoesn’t join the Brotherhood until near the end of the game, meaning the story there has been open to criticism by fans who hate when characters step away from the Assassin vs. Templar story. However, his emphasis as a pirate and captain of the Jackdaw is captivating; Kenway’s relationship with others, as well as his own growth as and from a pirate, adds a level of charm to the story. Kenway’s personality is both charming and rough, soft and crude, and caring but pirate-y.
IfSkull and Bones' story mode is de-centralized as players are supposedly ship-locked, then the characters involved may not have as much time to shine. If it is acustomizable pirate captain, it’s going to have work twice as hard to hit his charm. Either way, while a cameo or costume would only be fitting,Skull and Bonesmay not have a “Edward Kenway” based on what’s revealed so far, and that means it may not be the pirate game many are longing for.
Skull and Bonesis in development, with PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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